When I
arrived on the island of Negros back in July of 2011, I began to have head
colds at least once or twice each month.
I just figured my immune system had not been introduced to those viral
strains and thus for the next eighteen months I was blessed with respiratory
infections at least once or more each month.
Finally, the frequency began to lessen as my body adjusted and adapted
to those floating germs. Still, I would
be tormented by a viral bout every few months and as I type, I am currently enduring
one such infection brought home by my eight year old daughter. The good thing is that I am not the only one
as Toy and Clarisse are both sharing the misery with me. The one thing I hate about colds here in the
Philippines is that one of my nostrils will invariably drain onto the pillow
whilst I sleep. And should I stuff a wad
of tissue up that affected nose, for sure the seepage will move to the other
side. We don’t have chicken soup here
nor do I take medication as I go by the saying,
“If you take medication for your cold, it will be gone in seven days;
and if you do nothing, then the malady will be gone in seven days.” Well, this
is day three, only four more to go.
Which leads
me to a pet peeve in regard to this tropical land. When people sneeze or cough, the majority do
not cover their faces. They just let the
germs spread as they may and if you are the hapless person within their range,
well it sucks to be you. I am not even
going into how they blow their noses without tissue. Another disgusting habit here
is the people are constantly spitting on the sidewalk or street. Last night as I was walking, a middle aged
Filipino man coughed up a large glob of phlegm and spat it on the ground next
to where I was walking. I will sit in a
waiting shade and watch as bus passengers spit their phlegm out of the windows
and onto the highway or sidewalk; the same holds true for those on tricycles or
motorbikes, trucks, and even from the high priced cars. Though what really bothers me is as I pass
those same buses, or trikes, motorbikes, trucks, and yes, even cars with my
motorbike on the highway, there is the thought that I might have to dodge a
flying honker that could be spat by some inconsiderate or indifferent passenger/driver. At least in the mall, people are a bit more
civilized for lack of a better term.
There they will spit in the urinal or toilet…..or wait until they are
outside where they can spit by the front door.
For the Filipinos as well as the Filipinas (they do it just as much as
the men), it is something that is socially
acceptable for them, whereas my kids and I find it quite disgusting.
One of the biggest
challenges I am finding with living in the Philippines is the ability, or
should I say inability, to find replacement parts. Case in point is the plastic seat to our
round toilet gave out about two months ago.
It was literally hanging on my one plastic screw as we looked in vain
for a new seat. We started our search in
Kabankalan, a city of 150,000 people. It
was the only building supply store in that city which stocked toilet
seats but they only had elongated bowls.
We went back there three different times as they kept telling us that
the seats were on order, yet nothing ever arrived. Next we went to a couple of large hardware/home
improvement stores in Bacolod, the provincial capital with a population of over
511,000 residents. Again, it was a feat
in futility as all of the seats were, again, for elongated bowls. In the end, we found padded toilet seats and
purchased one out of desperation.
Regrettably, it only lasted three weeks due to its poor plastic and
cardboard construction. So, even though
the padded seat is still usable, we are back in the toilet seat search mode
once again.
 | |
| Circuit Relay Switch |
Same went for a circuit
relay switch for the water dispenser. It
had gone out and we tried to find a replacement part……none could be found. In the end, a local repair jockey replaced it
with a used part from a discarded water cooler. And finding parts on the internet here are
nigh unto impossible. The internet in
the Philippines is not user friendly in that department.
When I go
for my walks, I usually carry the camera along for those unique photo
opportunities. I always enjoy walking
just before sunrise to beat the overwhelming heat old sol provides and also,
except for those wandering dogs….and lots of them, the streets are relatively
quiet during that early hour. The only
thing you have to worry about during those brisk walks are the odiferous
droppings by the name of, “Watch Your Step.”
In the states, the dogs will use grassy lawns to do their duty, but
since there are no grass lawns here, the result is make their deposit somewhere
in the street. There is actually one
segment of our walk Toy and I have affectionately labeled Ta-I (pronounced Tah –
e) Alley due to the intense droppings therein.
One morning
I was walking along Segovia Street on the way toward
 |
| High heel on a native bench |
the new market when I
spied a pair of high heel shoes forlornly forgotten by someone during the previous
evening. If only that pair could tell
their tale of love and loss. While
strolling across the old National Highway bridge, I spied an older home which
had been built atop a storm drain. In this country there are such places as
squatter areas where people can build, but not own the land they have built
upon.
 |
| Storm Drain beneath squatter's home |
Sometimes, the owner will let a
tenant build a nipa (bamboo house on stilts) on a part of his land, but then
the tenant is bound by the owner’s whims.
And nothing is ever permanent for those families. A large group of squatters are being forced
to vacate their abodes by the city. For
whatever reason I do not know, and as of this writing they have not been moved
yet, but it is imminent and even though the city said they would find a place
for those displaced families, their life long homes will be demolished and gone
forever. Change is not always good here
in the Philippines.
Daryl A.
Cleveland, a.k.a. Bounder
November 23,
2015
I find your posts interesting about PI daily living.
ReplyDelete